Body

9 Ways to Stay Warm

It’s October, which means winter is coming soon. While controlling the weather isn’t one of our superpowers, we do have several tricks you can use so you don’t feel as cold! Just remember -it’s easy to lose body heat, and much harder to regain it. So you want to start off warm and retain it as much as possible.

1. Eat right.

One way to start off warm is to eat the right foods. Eating more calories than you’re using provides you with the blood sugar you need to stay warm in cold climates. But that’s not an excuse to chow down on chocolate! Foods filled with healthy fats, like nuts, help regulate your body temperature and increase your metabolism, which in turn heats you up. Ginger is another food that may increase blood circulation and thus your body temperature.

2. Stay hydrated.

Surprise, surprise: you can deal with cold better if are hydrated, since water helps you retain body heat. But don’t buy into the myth that alcohol will warm you up – in fact, it drops your core temperature, which is the absolute last thing you want. And while warm drinks activate heat receptors on your digestive tract, they can actually cool you down. So stick to a cup of lukewarm water – and avoid caffeinated drinks, which can dehydrate you.

3. Cover your extremities.

Ever heard that you lose 80% of your body heat from your head? It turns out that’s a myth. But you do lose heat from all that exposed surface area, and you’ll lose heat faster from places where blood vessels are near your skin, like your neck, head and ears. Plus, you’ll feel colder when your hands and feet are cold. So bundle up with the standard winter wear: a scarf, a hat, socks, ear muffs, and gloves. Consider getting mittens, which actually keep your hands warmer because your fingers transfer body heat together.

4. Stay dry.

Sweat is the absolute worst thing you can have in the cold since it cools you down. Avoid it by staying warm but not hot, and pacing yourself during outdoor winter activities. You should also buy socks made from fabric that wicks away sweat and get coats and boots that will prevent water from seeping to your skin.

5. Get social.

There are lots of reasons to meet with your friends during the winter months – but this just might be the strangest one. A University of Toronto study found that social exclusion can literally make you feel cold. So stay warm by hanging out with loved ones.

6. Wear layers.

You can lose heat via conduction when you touch something cold, or via convection when your body heat is transferred to a moving fluid or gas like wind. But you can combat both of these by insulating yourself with layers. Ideally, you’ll need a base layer, a mid-layer and an outer shell – that’s why long underwear and Uniqlo’s Heat-tech base layers are so popular in the winter. For a full explanation, check out this article. It’s geared towards campers but will help you understand the basics.

7. Meditate.

It sounds crazy, but studies have proved that even students who took just a 30-minute lesson in g-Tummo, a rare form of Tibetan meditation, could increase their body temperature using just their minds. Intrigued? You can learn how to do it here.

8. Get outside.

This is probably the last thing you want to hear. But it’s probably no surprise that the more time you spend outside, the more used you get to the cold. In fact, you can even reduce your “set point,” AKA the temperature at which you start to feel cold. If you’re not prepared to move your desk outside in freezing weather, at least turn down the heat a little in your home so you get a little bit used to it.

9. Move.

There are two ways in which moving can help you stay warm. Firstly, if you get cold while outside, moving will help warm you back up again – just make sure you don’t get sweaty! Secondly, all exercise improves circulation, and warm blood rushing around your body is what keeps you warm. So don’t stop your gym routine during the colder months.

It’s October, which means winter is coming soon. While controlling the weather isn’t one of our superpowers, we do have several tricks you can use so you don’t feel as cold! Just remember -it’s easy to lose body heat, and much harder to regain it. So you want to start off warm and retain it as much as possible.

1. Eat right.

One way to start off warm is to eat the right foods. Eating more calories than you’re using provides you with the blood sugar you need to stay warm in cold climates. But that’s not an excuse to chow down on chocolate! Foods filled with healthy fats, like nuts, help regulate your body temperature and increase your metabolism, which in turn heats you up. Ginger is another food that may increase blood circulation and thus your body temperature.

2. Stay hydrated.

Surprise, surprise: you can deal with cold better if are hydrated, since water helps you retain body heat. But don’t buy into the myth that alcohol will warm you up – in fact, it drops your core temperature, which is the absolute last thing you want. And while warm drinks activate heat receptors on your digestive tract, they can actually cool you down. So stick to a cup of lukewarm water – and avoid caffeinated drinks, which can dehydrate you.

3. Cover your extremities.

Ever heard that you lose 80% of your body heat from your head? It turns out that’s a myth. But you do lose heat from all that exposed surface area, and you’ll lose heat faster from places where blood vessels are near your skin, like your neck, head and ears. Plus, you’ll feel colder when your hands and feet are cold. So bundle up with the standard winter wear: a scarf, a hat, socks, ear muffs, and gloves. Consider getting mittens, which actually keep your hands warmer because your fingers transfer body heat together.

4. Stay dry.

Sweat is the absolute worst thing you can have in the cold since it cools you down. Avoid it by staying warm but not hot, and pacing yourself during outdoor winter activities. You should also buy socks made from fabric that wicks away sweat and get coats and boots that will prevent water from seeping to your skin.

5. Get social.

There are lots of reasons to meet with your friends during the winter months – but this just might be the strangest one. A University of Toronto study found that social exclusion can literally make you feel cold. So stay warm by hanging out with loved ones.

6. Wear layers.

You can lose heat via conduction when you touch something cold, or via convection when your body heat is transferred to a moving fluid or gas like wind. But you can combat both of these by insulating yourself with layers. Ideally, you’ll need a base layer, a mid-layer and an outer shell – that’s why long underwear and Uniqlo’s Heat-tech base layers are so popular in the winter. For a full explanation, check out this article. It’s geared towards campers but will help you understand the basics.

7. Meditate.

It sounds crazy, but studies have proved that even students who took just a 30-minute lesson in g-Tummo, a rare form of Tibetan meditation, could increase their body temperature using just their minds. Intrigued? You can learn how to do it here.

8. Get outside.

This is probably the last thing you want to hear. But it’s probably no surprise that the more time you spend outside, the more used you get to the cold. In fact, you can even reduce your “set point,” AKA the temperature at which you start to feel cold. If you’re not prepared to move your desk outside in freezing weather, at least turn down the heat a little in your home so you get a little bit used to it.

9. Move.

There are two ways in which moving can help you stay warm. Firstly, if you get cold while outside, moving will help warm you back up again – just make sure you don’t get sweaty! Secondly, all exercise improves circulation, and warm blood rushing around your body is what keeps you warm. So don’t stop your gym routine during the colder months.